Combined sound and view film and method of making the same



Nov. 3, 1931.

D. G. SHEARER COMBINED SOUND AND VIEW FILM AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed June 12, 1929 gnuento'o Patented Nov. 3, 1931 IDDUGLAS G. SHEARER, 035 SAhTTA TEQHIGA,

GOLDW EN-MAYER EAQREQIPJATTQN, CULVEB GET Y,

GE NEW YQRK application June 12,

This invention relates to a method of making a film embracing scenes, together with sound recordings in proper tinned relation The invention also relates to new and novel film which consists of scene and sounds, the two recordings or impressions being combined in one unitary piece for reproductive purposes.

At the present time there are two PI'lXlr cipal ways of recording sound on a strip of material such as a strip of hlin and running it in synchronism with the film on which the views or action is recorded. In one method the sound is recorded on one piece of material and the action or views are recorded onanother piece of material or These two separate pieces are then run separately through two separate machines, one an ordinary motion ,picture projector and the other a sound-reproducing mechanism, the two pieces of equipment being run in synchronisrn.

The disadvantages of this two-film method are the added cost, the possibilities of error in projection'and the added shipping weight and handling. The possibility of error in projection is the greatest disad -Jantage. it is dithcult to insure starting both strips of material at the same time and at the same speed. Furthermore, if one of the films is broken and a section thereof is taken out for splicing purposes, such ill will, of course, be of a different length than the accompanying recording and in this manner they will not harmonize. It is diflicult to locate the corresponding breakage point in sound record so as to delete the corresponding portion thereof.

The two-film method has the advantage of not reducing the area of the sound or action field. The entire edective width i one action or view film is devoted to the views and in this way a greater range'oi camera is permitted. Furthermore, the action record and the sound record may bedeveloped and printed separately, thereby permitting a de velopment of the highest degree of PGITQC- tion in each record. The action or view tilin may be dye-toned or colored or otherwise treated without impairing or affecting or enrich.

QQQEFQRNTA, ASSIGNQR T0 METRO- CALTIEUE-NIA, A GGRPQRATION connrnnn scorn view HMHTG- our. sans.

same film. li urtherinore, the possibility of misplacing the sound record which accon1- panics a particular picture film does not exist, as in the previously described method. he disadvantages of the method in which both the sound and the picture are recorded upon the same strip are numerous. Both the sound record and the picture record have to be developed simultaneously and either 7 one or the other must be sacrificed to some extent. is impossible to choose and to discriminate etween the two records as to strength and kind oi developer, time of developing, cetera. Colored filin stock cannot be conveniently employed and no color cuts conveniently niade, as the color affects the sound record. Part of the picture space has to be sacrificed to allow room for the sound record. This means that all scenes, when photographed, must be mashed ch in the camera or in the printer which makes a change in the screen proportions. Scenes taken in an ordinary manner with an ordinary camera have to be cut down and laboriously unsuitably reprints into the positive constituting the combined picture and sound recording.

()ne of the objects of this invention is to disclose and provide a method of combining picture iilni with a sound record in such manner that a unitary article is produced without afiecting the normal picture space. Another object is to disclose and provide method oi producing a combined picture and sure and reproduction of the a sound, as the sound record is a part of the 0 properly Elli-d We. manner so to or deuce t sound record in which the picture record may be colored. Y

Another object is to disclose and rovide a unitary sound and picture record 0 which the'units can be developed and treated separately before being combined.

Another object is to disclose and provide a method of producing a combinedsound and picture record which permits separate development control of each record.

Another object is to disclose and provide a method of producing a combined sound and picture record in which materials most suitable to the requirements of a picture record, and to a sound record are mechanically combined to produce a single strip, each of said materials being used for their respective purposes. I

Further objects, uses and advantages of the method described herein and embraced by this invention, and of the article produced thereby, will be apparent to those skilled in the art, from the following detailed description.

In describing the invention reference will be had to the appended drawings, in which Figure 1 is a representation of a portion of the combined sound and picture record.

Figure 2 is a section taken through the combined record shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of an. apparatus which may be employed in carrying out the method of this invention.

In carrying out the invention, any ordinary continuous film such as, for example, the standard 35 millimeter film 10 is employed, and the picture, view or action printed thereon from a suitable negative,'said negative being obtained in the customary manner and by the use of ordinary motion picture cameras. The normal space is, or may be, occupied by the picture or View, said space being represented at 11. emulsion, stock, time and control of develop ing may be used so as to produce a picture, action or view film of the highest duality. Colored stocks may be employed, or tie film dye-toned or otherwise treated. The continuous film 10, after having been developed, lined and dried, is then ready to be combined with a suitable sound recording.

The sound recording (consisting of conversation, vocal or instrumental music, or any noises correlated with the pictures recorded upon the film 10} is then preferably attached to the picture film 1d. The sound recording may be made on any suitable photographic film, or such sounds may be recorded in any suitable manner on paper stoclr or even on metallic tape. When photographic film is used for the sound record, the emulsion particularly for the recordation of sound thereon may be chosen a l nol such sound record may be developed and t ated in any desired. he most desired type In this manner any desired row strip of film 12 preferably bearing thcreon a suitable sound record. The sound record shown in the drawingsis that obtained by the use of a single light valve and is of the variable density type. The sound record 12 may be of any desired width and may be originally recorded either upon a strip of the finished size or it may be recorded upon a wider strip which is then cut longitudinally so as to trim the record down to the proper width.

At the present time, when the sound rcc- 0rd is made'a part of the finished film and is printed within the sprocket holes 13, the sound track is limited in width and rarely, if ever, exceeds an eighth of an inch. A product made in accordance with this invention is not thus limited, and any desired width of sound record may be employed, thereby permitting greater fidelity in reproduction. If desired, the sound record 12 can be made wide enough to accommodate more than one track, side by side. When the latter modification is employed, vocal sounds may be recorded on one track and instrumental sounds recorded on the other, thereby permitting the use of separate electrical recording equipment more suited to each type of sound. Such a double track also allows separate reproducing units or loud speakers to be employed. For example, the orchestration of a motion picture film may be reproduced from loud speakers and reproducing units placed in the orchestra pit, whereas the vocal and other sounds actually originating in the view or picture may be reproduced from units or loud speakers placed baclr of the screen.

The sound record, such as the strip 12, is preferably attached to the picture film 10 exteriorly oi the sprockets 13 and suchsound record may be attached to the picture film in any suitable manner. In Figure 3 a diagrammatic representation is given of apparatus which may be employed in combining the sound and picture records by one preferred method.

The, picture film 10 is fed by suitable means from a reel. 14 under a suitable guide 15 so as to permit a milling cutter 16 to cut a step or shoulder in the edge of the film, said step or shoulder being shown at 17, Figure 2. The cuttings from the film 10 produced by the milling cutter 16 (which is driven in any suitable manner) maybe removed by means of suction applied by a nozzle 18, said nozzle 18 being connected with a suction fan 19.

21 which, turn, dips bodily into the co menting solution retained within the fault. C

The disc 20 preferably applies a thin see ers shoulder or step 1? out in the film. It By means of suitable guides the sound record 12 and the film are brought into proper positlon relative to each. other and then pressed together by means of heated rollers 26land Several series of rollers 24 and 25 may be employed, certain ot the rollers preferably ro tating in a direction opposed to the travel of the combined film so as to produce burnishing action and thus weld the sound record to the picture record The combined sound and picture record may then he wound up upon a reel 26,

By cutting the shoulders or steps 1? in the sound record and in the picture record to approximately one-half the thickness of the finished film, the longitudinal splice or joint made during the hereinabove described operation, does not increase the total thickness'ot the film. H the sound record 12 is made on a photographic film and amyl acetate is used as the cementing material, an almost imperceptible line is the only indication of the tact that two separate pieces of film constitute the finished product,

Necessarily care is taken during the here inabove described combining operation that the soundmecord l2 and the picture'film lo are in synchronisni, Furthermore, the use of a film made as herein-above described necessitates slight changes in the ordinary projec= tion machines, such changes including the provision of clearance on the gates and v sprocketso lit will be seen, therefore, that a film made in the hereinabove described manner permits the use of the entire workable area of? the picture film for views and also permits the use of a sound record oi any desired width in conjunction therewith. The disadvantages of employing separate sound and film records are obviated Without the disadvantages inci dental to the use of a sound record made within the sprocket holes on a normal picture film. l iirthermore, each of records may he developed in its own particular way without afiecting the quality or character of the accompanying record,

it is to he understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise steps or ma terials described herein, as numerous changes and modifications may he made in the methed, in the apparatus employed in carrying out the method, and in the materials enter ing into the final product or final combined sound and View film or record without departing from this invention, All such changes and modifications as come within the scope oi the appended claim are therefore embraced thereby lclaimz A combined continuous picture film and sound record comprising a strip of film hearing pictures between rows of sprocket holes made therein, and a continuous photographic sound record on film stock attached to one longitudinal edge of said picture film, one edge of said sound record and one longitudinal edge of said picture film being stepped and said stepped edges cemented together whereby said combined picture film and sound record are of substantially equal thickness transversely thereof.

Signed atCulver City, Caliii, this 3rd day of June, 1929 DJUG-LAS o. 

